Emily Miles (Paola, Kan.) and Sole Mio, Leslie Waterman’s 2014 Hanoverian stallion, earned the top score of 70.092% in the USEF Developing Horse Grand Prix Test, clinching the national championship for the division. Ali Potasky (Versailles, Ky.) and INXS, the 2013 Dutch Warmblood gelding she co-owns with Kathy Priest, had the second-best score, a 69.398%, finishing in the reserve champion position overall. Karen Lipp (Ball Ground, Ga.) and her own 2013 KWPN gelding, Infinity, rounded out the top three for the overall national championship.

Photo – Emily Miles and Sole Mio. (©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian)

Class Results

Final Results:

1. Emily Miles and Sole Mio
2. Ali Potasky and INXS
3. Karen Lipp and Infinity

From the Mixed Zone:

What were some of the high points of today’s test?

Emily Miles: I was super happy with him. I was worried about his energy level through this week. It’s a long week, but I felt like his energy level was great today, so I was super happy with how much horse I still had. I was really happy with the uphill carriage that I had. I was able to be really light in there, but still go for it, and I hope the judges appreciated that. I liked the feel I had overall, the uphill self-carriage and the lightness I could get that translated throughout the movements.

Karen Lipp: I definitely feel like today I rode way better. I didn’t get a huge score, but I’ve never been so happy to be third place. I thought I worked really hard for it.

What is your horse’s background?

KL: I imported him as a 4-year-old, and this is our fifth time here. He did the 6-year-olds, developing Prix St. Georges, I-1 championships. We did the developing Grand Prix last year, which he wasn’t really ready for. So I was glad to be back this year.

Ali Potasky: I also found him in Europe as a younger horse and bought him with my boss, Kathy [Priest]. He’s the only horse I own part of. We say I own the cheap half as a joke about how when we got him he was a little difficult in the beginning. So it’s been a long journey of getting to really know him and get rapport with him. And once we got him confident, he’s a little bit easy with everything. It’s just the mental part that can be really challenging.

What are your goals for your horse?

AP: I think I just enjoy the training, and just seeing how far we could get and enjoying it. I sort of bought him as a sales horse—maybe train him up for a few years and sell him, but obviously he’s gone farther than I thought, so we will keep going and see where we get.

EM: Like Ali said, it’s about enjoying the journey and the everyday. I think we all know, with these horses nothing is given. So we might have hopes and dreams for them, and I would love “Mio” to do big, amazing, wonderful things. But I think it’s more important to stay in the moment and really appreciate the journey we’ve had. I am just so grateful to Markel for this. My horse was the winner of the 4-year-olds. He did the 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, developing Prix St. Georges, developing Grand Prix, and now we’re here. So I really am just thankful for Markel for giving us this opportunity to showcase these young horses and watch their development and for people to get to know them. It’s a lucky thing that we have here at beautiful Lamplight, and to have an owner that stands behind you from buying him as a two-and-a-half year old all the way through the developing Grand Prix. We’re all very fortunate just to be here with the horses we have today.

Full Schedule and Results

2023 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions On-Demand Replay

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